The first recorded drinking ritual in Chinese history is also one of the most ominous. In the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE), the king would pour wine onto the ground as an offering to his ancestors — a libation that acknowledged the spirits’ thirst and their continued influence over the living. The act was serious, ritualized, and tied to the Shang belief that the dead remained active participants in human affairs. Wine was not merely a beverage. It was a bridge between worlds.

Five thousand years later, Chinese drinking culture is still built on this foundation of ritual, social bonding, and a certain willingness to let loose. Baijiu (白酒), the clear spirit distilled from sorghum or other grains, remains the drink of choice at business dinners, weddings, festivals, and family gatherings throughout China. The “ganbei” (干杯, “dry cup” — bottoms up) toast is a cultural institution that every visitor to China encounters, and often struggles with. Understanding where it comes from explains a great deal about Chinese social customs, Chinese history, and the Chinese relationship with intoxication, hospitality, and the collective.